San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1887-03-15
CoKE AND GIDDINGS.

That washington County Investigation
Az Unwarranted Interference
With the Course Of Justice
Decidedly Undemo-
cratic.
For the san Antonio LIGHr:
The course OF Senator Coke, in the
Washington county bull-dOZing election
cases. is most extraordinary, and must
challenge the attention and the seVeTest
criticism and condemnation OF every
law and order man, woman and child,
in Texas. IL cannot be maintained for
one moment, that any considerable por-
ton OF the people Of Texas, who think,
endorse his cOurie.
When q memorial, from certain Tex
ans, was laid before the senate, by Gen.
Hawley, Senator Coke arose In his place
in the senate, and then and there, did he
pretend to deny, that at the November
election OF 1884, In Washington county,
Texas, that armed men, In MASKS, cap
tured the messengers, carrying tue
boxes from county precincts, TO BreG-
ham, and took and destroyed the I'M
counted ballots and returns. at the points
of the pistol and gun? Did be then
and there, decTy or gainsay, the facts,
that at the November election, 1855, in
said county, that masked, armed men,
on the evening and night OF the cleo
ton, and during the counting OF the
vote, captured, at least, two ballot boxes
and DESTROYED them and the ballots; and
that the officers of the election. at one
precinct, resisted the attack on the box,
and killed an armed masked ballot box
raider; and for the doing Of which said
officers were arrested by Il mob, jailed
and hung without ,pretense OF trial! No,
sir: he denied none OF these things. but
he proceeded TO denounCc, rs the veriest
scuundrels, the men who charged these
unpalatable truths.
Did Coke have no better plea 10 put
In in answer to the charges than that
Moore, Hack worth and Schultz are men
of bad character?
How small Coke must have appeared
10 this role, before his brother sena-
tors. Suppose We admit these men 10
be without character, does that fact pal
late in any degree the outrages upon a
free ballot and ( ir court? No. Not
utall! And If Coke so thinks, he allows
the people of Texas, and every where
elsp, TOO little credit for common sense.
Again, If the newspapers are TO cred
tied, Coke, to so Ie extent, at least, has
thrown himself into The breach, and to
some extent, proposes to gage and con-
troll the prosecution OF these eases, IN
the United States courts, In the interest
OF the bull-dUZers.
Now If this is true. and we must hold
il so until Coke denies, then the sena-
tor has made fearful blunder.
The democrats of Texas are not mob
Gratis they are not" ballot box smashers y
They are rot murdererA for pOlit cal
opinion; albeit that a few may be, that
Tolerate these things.
The democrats of Texas are law
sbiding people, and they want the
Washington county OutrRges freely in
vestigated and the guilty parties, II any,
punished and the Innocent vindicated.
If Coke and Giddings attempt, rs is
now roundly asserted in the papers to
stay the hands of our fearless prose-
outOr. and 10 dictate to him and the
grand Jury what witnesses shall or shalI
not be called in these cases, they will
raise a storm about their heads that will
sweep them into merited Uhscurlty.
The people. the democrats OF Texas,
have cOndoned CoSe's lawlessness in or
ganizlng and heading mob, and
rescuing j. NJ. Steiner from mill.
tary arrest for the murder of
Major Arnold; they coRdOncd his
act in paving Giddings $50 900 fee out Of
Texas school fund for services worth
less than one Thousand dollars; but II
will be unGO him an evil day when he
attempts to put his h nds upon the
courts. or our prosecutors, In this mat
ter of ing Justice and shielding these
men of Washington county from prose-
Cution.
What! D. g. Giddings, the back sal
ary grabber, the common school fund
plunderer, debating 10 the interest of
accused parties, who shall 90 before the
grand jury! Did such impudenCe ever
show its face before; it is divine Texas
democrats feel that the reign Of terror
and blood is over every where. and they
will serve short notice on Coke, Gid
dings, Pope & Co., that they do not
countenance such outrages as those
charged to have been perpe-
trated in Washington, BrazO-
ria and Harrison counties, and
that no hand or voice must be inter-
posed to prevent the fullest inyestiga-
lion OF those charges.
The people, yea. all the people, of all
parties have In hand, a sharp notice to
the great or small bulldOZer. that they
intend TO meet them ut the b9llOr boxes
the coming summer, and that their min
listers Of the gospel intend TO vote. and
will not submit to being "sCOurgtd
back" to their pnlpits.
And we democrats serve notice on Mr..
Coke. that his BrHZOs bottom fnrm is a
better field for his bull-dOZing prOclivi-
ties than the U. 5. senate.
The fact is the people OF Texas, dem
ocratic, republican. greenbackcr. prohi-
billion and anti-prohibition, have had
enough Of these men, Coke and Gi'dings,
and their methods; and they will not
tolerate efforts Oh the part of these gen.
tlemen, to strike down conscientious
officer of the government, WHO seems to
be trying to do his duty, his whole duty,
and nothing but his duty, without refer
enoe to the party whip.
And now We heathens, let the ball
open. Love and order to the front, bal
lot box smashers to the rear"
JUSTICE.
San Antonio, March Is. 1857.